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Box Office Gross: $324,844,000 (Worldwide) (This figure may change as new editions earn more money and increase the overall value of the box office gross)

Plot Summary

Thrust into an all-new
adventure, a down-on-his-luck
Captain Jack Sparrow feels the
winds of ill-fortune blowing even
more strongly when ghost
sailors led by his old nemesis
the evil Captain Salazar, escape
from the Devil's Triangle. Jack's
only hope of survival lies in
seeking out the legendarytrident of Poseidon, but to find it
he must forge an uneasy
alliance with a brilliant and
beautiful astronomer and a
headstrong young man in the
British navy.

Shiver me timbers, it's time for DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES to set sail as Disney is trying to keep a waning franchise of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN afloat. It has been a wait of four years and some moviegoers have lost interest in the series because of the extremely divisive ON STRANGER TIDES (click here). The studio and its former partner Jerry Bruckheimer have decided that an another change of direction would best suit the next film and brought in two Norwegian directors. Unfortunately much of it was dogged by a string of production difficulties as its main actor Johnny Depp was injured on-set and facing career-threatening issues. Yet, this feature tries to convince us that there's still hope left in the series as Depp is struggling to regain much of his A-list status from the allegations. The two new lead characters of the film weren't as believable as Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann from the original film's. This film wasn't quite as promising as its narrative, when most of us believe it would replicate the approval from THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL (click here).

Now that Depp has become a shadow of his former self as the role that was once inspired from the exploits of the great matinee idol Errol Flynn is losing his edge. Javier Bardem was splendid in his portrayal of the undead pirate hunter Salazar, who was purely motivated by revenge on Jack Sparrow... I mean Captain Jack Sparrow. He is the film's only other redeeming feature and it was fortunate he had not signed on to a different picture than being in the ensemble cast. We can also thank Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightely for being in their special guest appearances as Will and Elizabeth after they were both absent in the previous movie.

DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES was not the long-awaited film to rescue the series from its declining quality. It has some moments, but not nearly enough to contain all the balance that was forgotten from the sequels. So viewers be warned, watch at your own risk!

Thursday, 25 May 2017

Hello movie bloggers, I regret to inform you that British film and television actor Roger Moore, the man known for being Simon Templar in the television show 'The Saint' and his longest serving portrayal of secret agent James Bond in the film series of 1973 to 1985 has passed away after bravely losing battle with cancer on May 23rd 2017 at 89 years old.I have nothing against the late movie star except that he wasn't the best actor to play 007 but was more British, less brutal and memorable than any interpretation that were conceived by Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig.

Moore's early years of his acting career began in 1945 where he was but an extra in the film 'Caesar and Cleopatra'. Moore had his first televised appearance in 1949 and found work on modelling for print advertisements. In 1954, he signed a seven-year contract with MGM and got third billing and a supporting role in 'Interrupted Memory', The King's Thief' and 'Diane'. The latter film flopped and Moore was released by the studio two years after. A few years later, Moore has starred in one-hour parts in episodes of TV programs and various little known movies. Moore's involvment with television grew as he featured in lead roles include 'Ivanhoe', 'The Alaskans' and 'Maverick'. Moore was cast in the main role of Simon Templar in the television spy-fi drama 'The Saint' by producer Lew Grade. The show was broadcasted in 1962 in the U.K. where it was filmed and even America, that got its widespread attention. Because of its success, Moore had gotten international stardom in 1967. The series was originally produced in black-and-white before it went to colour in 1967 and ran for six seasons with 118 episodes. In addition to his main acting in the show, Roger Moore has also directed several episodes which he starred in. In 1971, Moore went on to star in another espionage thriller series opposite Tony Curtis in 'The Persuaders'. Unlike his previous fame in 'The Saint', the series was a success only in the U.K. and Australia but never in America where it was pre-sold to ABC and failed.

In 1972, when producers Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli first contacted the actor after Sean Connery stepped down from the role of 007, Roger accepted their offer of portraying that titular character in 1973, starting with 'Live and Let Die'. After its release, he continued with his interpretation of the character in films like 'The Man with the Golden Gun', 'The Spy Who Loved Me', 'Moonraker', 'For Your Eyes Only', 'Octopussy' and 'A View to a Kill'. He was 45 years old in 'Live and Let Die' and was 58 in 1985 when he retired from that role and was considered the oldest actor to portray James Bond. During his tenure as Bond, Moore had other movies in mind such as 'Gold', 'The Wild Geese', 'Escape from Athena', 'North Sea Hijack', 'The Sea Wolves' and 'The Cannonball Run'. He also appeared in a cameo appearance as Inspector Clouseau on 'The Curse of the Pink Panther' under the pseudonym. After his retirement from being James Bond, Moore took a career hiatus for five years and would not continue to do more film appearances until 1990 in several movies. He was seen in other movies like 'The Quest' with Jean Claude Van Damme and 'Spice World' and was among the voice talents of 'Cats & Dogs: Revenge of Kitty Galore'.

Despite his celebrity status, Moore was made Goodwill Ambassador of UNICEF in 1991. Among other honours, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth as "Sir Roger Moore" for his "services to charity" in 2003 and in 2008, he was appointed by the French Goverment as Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

To family and friends of Roger Moore, we deeply miss him and we are grateful to have seen his work including James Bond. May he ever be immortalised in film.

Plot SummaryOnce again we're plunged into a world of sword fights and "savvy" pirates. Captain Jack Sparrow is reminded he owes a debt to Davy Jones, who captains the Flying Dutchman, a ghostly ship with a crew from hell. Facing the "locker" Jack must find the heart of Davy Jones but to save himself he must get the help of quick-witted Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann. If that's not complicated enough, Will and Elizabeth are sentenced to hang unless Will can get Jack's compass for Lord Cutler Beckett. Will is forcedto join another crazy adventure with Jack.

While THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL received a standing ovation of being a worthy pirate film, the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN sequels were not as well-known as the original and are a mixed bag among viewers. I barely watched them (except for ON STRANGER TIDES), but now is the time to watch all entries in a canonical order before I go see DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES in theatres. DEAD MAN'S CHEST was the middle child of the series and is unable to surpass the standards of the previous film. The crucial display of balancing action and comedy is nowhere to be found as the plot becomes too convoluted with some exposition. Director Gore Verbinski and the screen writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio become caught up with the first film's success as Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer wanted DEAD MAN'S CHEST to be bigger and better than the last movie. This sequel was too slickly overproduced to be considered as an even better sequel despite all the great lengths that came with the lavish scenery, brilliant sword fighting and extravagant visuals. Sadly, these aspects were simply not enough to save the second instalment from a fair scale of rating.

Johnny Depp was almost as funny when continuing his role of Captain Jack Sparrow after he had astonished audiences in the character's big debut of the first film. He was very sincere that he was cheeky and unrestrained and to amuse himself of his improvised acting. Actor Bill Nighy was in a hideous disguise as the squid-like part crustacean pirate of Davy Jones when he was cast into that antagonist role. This has to do with the computer-generated imagery that camouflaged him to look very fishy in this transformation. The rousing adventurous score by Hans Zimmer was incredible it included strings, pipes and concussions to create a sound familiar to the original themes by Klaus Badelt.

DEAD MAN'S CHEST was a bit disjointed but nonetheless a decent addition to the PIRATES franchise. It's not the best of the sequels, but easy come easy go, it's a mildly entertaining film to say the least. Highly recommended to those who were fans of the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN movies.

Budget: $200,000,000Box Office Gross: $636,957,009 (Worldwide) (This figure may change as new editions earn more money and increase the overall value of the box office gross)

Plot Summary
Peter Quill and his fellow Guardians are hired by a powerful alien race, the Sovereign, to protect their precious batteries from invaders. When it is discovered that Rocket has stolen the items they were sent to guard, the Sovereign dispatch their armada in search for vengeance. As the guardians try to escape, the mystery of Peter's parentage is revealed.

My moviegoing experience of the first GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY movie (click here) wouldn't be the same if I had not seen the new chapter in theatres. The thrilling cosmic action, humour and 70s music were reinstated in GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 and it was a surprising continuation that everyone agrees it has the same impact of the original movie. Writer/Director James Gunn has masterminded the call for a sequel of continuing the wild space adventures of Marvel's very own sci-fi heroes. The film was thickened with a thoughtful storyline and complex characterisations but it boasts an immense visual display. It loses none of these aspects that were continued to be used in the feature that is neither as significant as what other viewers say about it. It would seem that the plot has some similarities to THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (click here) and it has more of a bittersweet closing than a downer ending.

The original actors like Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, etc. are back as the famed eponymous group of heroes that were ready to save the galaxy again from evil forces. Even undisputed macho man Vin Diesel is now voicing the cutesy and diminutive version of Groot. For the newer cast members, Kurt Russell was a legendary and truly remarkable actor when portraying Star-Lord's estranged father who was mysterious and godlike and his true intentions are yet to be discovered. Elizabeth Debecki was capable of using sheer brutal menace when acting as the vengeful Ayesha and that she may return to the character in the final instalment in the near-future. French actress Pom Klementieff was cast as the lovable but naive Mantis who is newly welcomed as a member of the team. Veteran actor Sylvester Stallone is in a large cameo role as Stakar Ogord, even though I've never been a big fan of Stallone and his movies. Whatever the reason, he did pull a fascinating job.

Viewers will be jettisoned and embrace the world of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY as they previously have done it in its predecessor. It may not have been as fresh as the last movie, but it's bigger and a more colourful and action-packed sequel. I hope to see it again when it is put to the sales on Blu-ray, DVD, iTunes and Netflix.

The roguish yet charming Captain Jack Sparrow's idyllic pirate life capsizes after his nemesis the wily Captain Barbossa, steals his ship the Black Pearl, and later attacks the town of Port Royal kidnapping the Governor's beautiful daughter Elizabeth. In a gallant attempt to rescue her and recapture the Black Pearl, Elizabeth's childhood friend Will Turner joins forces with Jack. What Will doesn't know is that a cursed treasure has doomed Barbossa and his crew to live forever as the undead.

Ahoy there me hearties, it's RadDingo here. You may have guessed that I didn't review any of the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN movies (save for ON STRANGER TIDES). Now that I am looking forward to seeing the new movie DEAD MAN TELL NO TALES which is soon to be in theatres at the end of May. We'll be looking at the series' first instalment THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL before the countdown is over. It was captivating to see a swashbuckling feature that hasn't aged a bit and it never ceases to amaze me. I didn't expect that a film based on a theme park ride at Disneyland would soar as one of the top grossing films of 2003. However, the film was a hidden treasure, formed by an intriguing narrative from the same writing team that were behind SHREK and ALADDIN (click here). Full of action with sword-fight choreography, comedy and an adventurous epic feel with a few supernatural themes to contain the tremendous impact. Director Gore Verbinski could never be thanked enough for bringing such a movie franchise to life. He has also done a very nimble job on the pacing and none of the sequels were used to this proper timing of the original movie.

The performances were superb coming from actors like Johnny Depp who was already perfect for the infamous savvy pirate of Jack Sparrow. He gets away with portraying his character with a hairstyle, a mid-Atlantic cockney accent, etc. He was born to lead his portrayal as it was a huge step-up of being immortalised in his status as a well-known leading actor from Hollywood. Actor Orlando Bloom was the boy-next-door and though he portrays the pirate-in-training swordmaker Will Scarlett in a restraining manner. Keira Knightely was gorgeous as the lovely Elizabeth Swann. Geoffrey Rush chews the scenery when acting as the bloodthirsty blackguard Hector Barbossa in a charismatic over-the-top style. On a surprising note, it was one of the early films for actress Zoe Saldana who is nearing her future big break in STAR TREK (click here) and AVATAR (click here) when she was prominently featured among the supporting cast.

A fun yet majestic high-sea adventure is enough to push THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL into a well-regarded sanctuary of modern classics that were in its heyday. I consider this to be my favourite movie that goes without saying as being a must-see before feature.

British Ministry agent John Steed, under direction from "Mother", investigates a diabolical plot by arch-villain Sir August de Wynter to rule the world with his weather control machine. Steed investigates the beautiful Doctor Mrs. Emma Peel, the only suspect, but simultaneously falls for her and joins forces with her to combat Sir August.

Cast

Ralph Fiennes - John Steed

Uma Thurman - Emma Peel

Sean Connery - Sir August de Wynter

Jim Broadbent - Mother

Eddie Izzard - Bailey

Fiona Shaw - Father

Eileen Atkins - Alice

Keeley Hawes - Tamara

John Wood - Trubshaw

Carmen Ejogo - Brenda

Shaun Ryder - Donovan

Nicholas Woodeson - Dr. Darling

Patrick Macnee - Invisible Jones (Voice)

Crew

Director - Jeremiah S. Chechik

Based on Television Series "The Avengers" - Sydney Newman

Writer - Don MacPherson

Executive Producer - Susan Ekins

Producer - Jerry Weintraub

Production Designer - Stuart Craig

Costume Designer - Anthony Powell

Cinematography - Roger Pratt

Stunt Coordinator - Marc Boyle

Visual Effects Supervisor - Nick Davis

Film Editor - Mick Audsley

Composer: Theme Song - Laurie Johnson

Music - Joel McNeely

Review

Released in 1998, THE AVENGERS (no, not the film from Joss Whedon) was considered to be the worst screen interpretation ever released. It was very lucky that this wasn't based on the famous Marvel comic book series, but it was instead based on a classic British spy-fi television series that wouldn't be recognised by young audiences. It's a travesty that this movie nearly derailed the careers of those who participated its production, namely actors like Sean Connery and Uma Thurman. The lack of background extras, plot holes, severe editing and overall politeness of the chemistry dialogue of Thurman and Ralph Fiennes may have contributed to these criticisms of the movie.

Shame on the producers for casting Connery, the former 007 as the weather-controlling megalomaniac in a movie that shows no loyalty to the source material. He should be ashamed of his performance in this abnormal movie. The part of the villain would have been perfect for Anthony Hopkins, if he had been willing to accept that instead of Connery who did not yet retire from acting after THE AVENGERS until 2003.

The film was not quite ready to renew interest on a classic TV series and actually did no justice for the series as it was so poorly made that if this is your first introduction to THE AVENGERS, it discourages you from wanting to watch the TV series which despite this poor movie is actually quite decent.

Monday, 1 May 2017

Production Companies
Universal Pictures (presents)
Original Film
One Race Films
Perfect World Pictures
China Film Co.

Distribution
Universal Pictures Australia

Genre: Action

Rating: M

Runtime: 136 minutes

Budget: $250,000,000Box Office Gross: $1,238,764,765 (Worldwide)

Plot SummaryNow that Dom and Letty are on their honeymoon and Brian and Mia have retired from the game-and the rest of the crew has been exonerated-the globetrotting team has found a semblance of a normal life. But when a mysterious woman seduces Dom into the world of crime he can't seem to escape and a betrayal to those closest to him, they will face trials that will test them as never before.

From the shores of Cuba and the streets of New York City to the icy plains off the arctic Barents Sea, our elite force will crisscross the globe to stop an anarchist from unleashed chaos on the world's stage... and to bring home the man who made them a family.

The eighth instalment of THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS series, THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS was thought it be inferior and would de-accelerate the franchise with the absence of the late actor Paul Walker. The film continues the series need for speed and with two more sequels underway, there's no lessening an impact that started the over-the-top car chases and stunt work. A near adrenaline rush that was not quite facing the articular standards of the predecessors like FURIOUS 7 (click here). It has a storyline that was essentially dark albeit still in a cheesy grin as Vin Diesel's hero turns rogue when he is won over by a vindictive femme fatale. Director F. Gary Gray takes over James Wan's duties after the hype from FURIOUS 7 died down in two years and keeps the formula intact on this one. The excitement of the movie has never faded and it has seemed to get bolder now and then.

The returning actors like Vin Diesel have always been in touch with the chemistry with the late Paul Walker until his sudden death. He is now one of the lead actors of the film sharing with Dwayne Johnson and Michelle Rodriguez as he could not fill in Paul's shoes. Also with co-stars Jason Statham and Kurt Russell being the newest additions to the series as both actors return to their characters as the first is no longer their greatest foe but now is an ally to the good guys. Who is Cipher, the deadliest assassin that we have come across yet as Oscar-winner Charlize Theron dabbles her skills as a thespian to play the bad girl. Helen Mirren makes a surprise cameo appearance as her love for the series has brought her attention in a certain role.

THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS is a semi-decent action blockbuster that almost derailed the quality of the series. It certainly got over with a new threatening villain and dark tone that it was the series' interesting and recent chapter. I highly recommend this feature for those in their teen and mature audiences as well as fans of the FAST AND THE FURIOUS series of films.